Its summer! Picture yourself in shorts, tanktop and flipflops, lounging by the pool (grandkids wading pool in my case), just chilling in the summer sun. Burgers are on the grill, potato salad in the fridge, and watermelon on ice. The perfect setting for something light, refreshing, slightly sweet, and chilled - but not coming out of can or with a head on it. I know the perfect wine – Rosato.

I have it on good authority that rosato means “rose'” in Italian. Sounds reasonable to me since most Rosatos I have encountered are pinkish rose' style wines made from Italian variety grapes. The sweet, high acid Sangiovese grape seems to be the favored variety of Rosato makers both here and in Italy but wonderfully refreshing and food friendly Rosatos are made from Barbera, Nebbiolo, and Dolcetto as well.

There seems to be no specific “Rosato style” however most California Rosatos are akin to the dry rose's of Europe. Fruit is usually harvested in late September or early October when sugar levels reach about 24 degrees brix. Vintners closely monitor the fruit prior to harvest to make sure grapes maintain good acidity as they ripen. High fruit acidity ensures the finished wine will not be fat and flabby but crisp and bracing – the hallmark of fine Rosato.

It is after the grapes are crushed that things get interesting and the individuality of the Rosato maker determines the style of the wine. Generally, following crush, the juice is left in contact with the grape skins for a “short” period of time. Each winemaker has his/her own definition of “short” that can range from 6 to 72 hours depending on temperature, fruit condition and, of course, the vintners style. After the juice has had sufficient skin contact time to get color, flavor, and aroma to satisfy the winemakers idiosyncrasies, a portion (15-35%) of the “free run” juice is “bled” off the skins into stainless steels tanks, oak vats, or barrels. The French call this process saignee' (pronounced “sen-yay”) – bleeding. Here too, the stylistic preferences of the winemaker comes into play. Some vintners will combine all the saignee juice in one tank prior to fermentation while others will ferment each lot separately and blend them prior to bottling.

Most vintners prefer a long, slow fermentation to preserve the delicate freshness of the wine. Some winemakers choose to ferment the juice using the native yeasts that came on the grapes while others prefer the predictability of cultured yeast. Certain vintners ferment in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks while others ferment in neutral oak barrels or large oak vats. If a particular style favors a touch of sweetness, the winemaker can “freeze” the yeast at a specified sugar level by chilling the wine then filtering. 

Its summer! Picture yourself in shorts, tanktop and flipflops, lounging by the pool (grandkids wading pool in my case), just chilling in the summer sun. Burgers are on the grill, potato salad in the fridge, and watermelon on ice. The perfect setting for something light, refreshing, slightly sweet, and chilled - but not coming out of can or with a head on it. I know the perfect wine – Rosato.

I have it on good authority that rosato means “rose'” in Italian. Sounds reasonable to me since most Rosatos I have encountered are pinkish rose' style wines made from Italian variety grapes. The sweet, high acid Sangiovese grape seems to be the favored variety of Rosato makers both here and in Italy but wonderfully refreshing and food friendly Rosatos are made from Barbera, Nebbiolo, and Dolcetto as well.

There seems to be no specific “Rosato style” however most California Rosatos are akin to the dry rose's of Europe. Fruit is usually harvested in late September or early October when sugar levels reach about 24 degrees brix. Vintners closely monitor the fruit prior to harvest to make sure grapes maintain good acidity as they ripen. High fruit acidity ensures the finished wine will not be fat and flabby but crisp and bracing – the hallmark of fine Rosato.

It is after the grapes are crushed that things get interesting and the individuality of the Rosato maker determines the style of the wine. Generally, following crush, the juice is left in contact with the grape skins for a “short” period of time. Each winemaker has his/her own definition of “short” that can range from 6 to 72 hours depending on temperature, fruit condition and, of course, the vintners style. After the juice has had sufficient skin contact time to get color, flavor, and aroma to satisfy the winemakers idiosyncrasies, a portion (15-35%) of the “free run” juice is “bled” off the skins into stainless steels tanks, oak vats, or barrels. The French call this process saignee' (pronounced “sen-yay”) – bleeding. Here too, the stylistic preferences of the winemaker comes into play. Some vintners will combine all the saignee juice in one tank prior to fermentation while others will ferment each lot separately and blend them prior to bottling.

Most vintners prefer a long, slow fermentation to preserve the delicate freshness of the wine. Some winemakers choose to ferment the juice using the native yeasts that came on the grapes while others prefer the predictability of cultured yeast. Certain vintners ferment in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks while others ferment in neutral oak barrels or large oak vats. If a particular style favors a touch of sweetness, the winemaker can “freeze” the yeast at a specified sugar level by chilling the wine then filtering.

Rarely do Rosatos see any lengthy aging either in barrels or bottles. Most vintners coldstabilize the wines then finish the process with a sterile filtration so what yeast remaining in wine after fermentation won't wake up and “fizz” the wine by munching on leftover sugar. The finished wine is usually ready for the summer grilling and picnic season in April or May after harvest.

Rosatos have gorgeous colors ranging from salmon pink to bright, medium red. While most Rosatos are “dry” or at most “off-fry”, the wines will often retain between a half and one percent residual sugar. Rosatos are light to medium bodied with tangy acidity and aromas of floral, citrus, summer fruit, and cranberry. Crisp, mouth filling flavors can include raspberry, strawberry, cherry, red plum, guava, melon, and peach.

The most significant characteristic of Rosato is its capacity to refresh. Serve this summer time delight icy-cold as an aperitif, with appetizers or as an attention-getting first course for that barbeque meal. Rosato, (or “Rosado” as some California producers call it) is a terrific match with fresh garden salad, grilled poultry, fish, smoked salmon, marinated prawns or (in my case) a big juicy burger.

See you around the pool!